Lossless classics

Tag Archives: Christa Ludwig

Many thanks to our friend from Lake Michigan for this gemThis is one of the most popular modern recordings of the opera though partly by default as there haven’t been many and the consensus is that the most recent ones lack the great singers of the past. It somewhat lags behind Böhm’s and Furtwängler’s in popularity and critical esteem though I think it’s nearly as good. Most of the criticism has been directed at the conducting. I’ll get to that but first I want to discuss the lead singers.…

This is Box No. 9 of the Bicentennial Beethoven Collection, published by Deutsche Grammophon 1970, to celebrate Beethoven’s 200th birthday with all his works on 12 Box-Sets/75 LPs. In the last years I spent only for this Beethoven Edition around 500-550 EUR. If you think and feel, you want to contribute, any donation will be welcome. Thank you!

All thanks for tis gem go to our friend Jean-LucThe real test of greatness, both in content and in performance is the effect of repeated hearing–especially repeated hearing without focused concentration. After a while, both the art and the artistry of a recording like this make themselves felt in an undeniable way. Most important of all, the effect of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion is to immerse the listener in the feelings and philosophies of an event that forms the foundation of western culture. This recording of the St. Matthew Passion captures all the feeling and emotion present in the Biblical passages upon which it is based. It is an excellent recording to use for study due to its extremely slow tempo. The tempo, however, unfortunately makes it rather tedious if you do not love the piece before listening to this recording. The final chorus, “Wir setzen uns,” is magnificently done, as is the opening chorus. The soloists are superb, and Klemperer certainly knows how to make one wait for a chord to resolve. All in all, it’s simply amazing.

Many thanks to our friend Jean-Luc for this very rare live gem.Leonard Bernstein more or less owned this symphony, and both this and his earlier Sony recording are superb. He was one of the few conductors who wasn’t afraid of the musical insanity that Mahler unleashes in the first movement (a collision between two marches of very different character), and the New York Philharmonic is one of the few orchestras in the world with the stamina to carry the whole thing off. This is the longest symphony ever written that’s in the international repertoire, but listening to Bernstein’s way with it, you’d never guess. –David Hurwitz

Many thanks to our friend Jean-Luc for this beatiful vinyl If you haven’t heard this ninth or its live counterpart, you haven’t heard Beethoven’s ninth at its very best. The difference consists partly in the fact that Klemperer lets the trombones and percussion play as they should, according to the score – i.e. clearly audible. Most other conductors tend to ignore this. On the present recording, the result is just amazing. The recording quality is very fine, despite its age. It is far better than many other, later recordings (e.g., Karajan’s). Compared with the live version from Testament.

All thanks for this go to our friend Jean-Luc
Bartók’s lone opera has fared well on disc, and the Kertész is one of the best, even if it lacks the full bite and snap of singers emoting in their native language. Ludwig, a mezzo Judith, is convincing as a loving bride wishing to share her husband’s innermost secrets, and Berry is a patient Bluebeard, saddened by her inevitable consignment to oblivion behind the seventh door. They capture the private, intimate horrors at the core of the story. Kertész conducts brilliantly, drawing full, warm sounds from the LSO aided by Decca’s spectacular demonstration-quality engineering. Doráti (on Mercury, also with great sound but with native singers) may get closer to the spirit of Bartók’s sharp-edged score, but Kertész is in the same league.

Even though the corruption of the Heirarchy, mainly about power, put him off the Church, and made it difficult for him to believe, Verdi expresses here his faith, or longing for faith. The Giulini recording of Verdi’s “Requiem” has long been a favorite of many listeners, both for the conducting and the quality of the soloists, most of whom were at the peak of their careers.

I watched this on TV somewhen in the 1980s and was floored by it. I’m surprised there’s no DVD of such a winner as this. Must be some kind of contractual problem. Pity. LB was usually a superb pianist and accompanist, and, of course, Christa Ludwig was/is a great singer of Brahms or of almost anything. What I saw was a lovely program of well-known and lesser-known Brahms songs performed to perfection, not showy, but touching. I’d say that if you have a turntable, take a chance on this disc.

Herbert von Karajan came to Mahler in a round-about way. His affinity with Richard Strauss and Anton Bruckner was life-long. Mahler he came to only after exploring the Second Viennese School of Schoenberg, Berg and Webern. Released in the mid-seventies this, his first Mahler recording is extraordinary. It is the only Mahler Symphony recorded by Karajan abd the BPO in the Jesus Christus Kirche and not in the Berlin Philharmonie. This brings a presence and warmth to the recorded sound not achieved by the engineers until much later in the Philharmonie.